Under the drone of vintage planes overhead and in sweltering heat, Masterton's old soldiers paid their respects to the dead of World War I yesterday.
About 70 people, mostly RSA members, stood to attention at the cenotaph in Queen Elizabeth Park to commemorate the armistice between the Allies and Germany, signed92 years ago to the day.
Guest speaker Major Jack Hayes told the crowd he didn't want to shower them in statistics or glorify the "Great War".
Coming from a family where four generations had served in the military he and his wife were now glad their son was too old for service. Gesturing to the Masterton cenotaph, he said one of the challenges was connecting today's generation with those who died and he was proud of an initiative between Wairarapa College and the Wairarapa Archives to flesh out the stories of those soldiers into more than just an initial and surname.
RSA president Bob Hill said his uncle served in World War I but it was important people paid respect to not just that war, but all wars that men died in.
"I certainly don't think we should glorify a war, but we enjoy a certain amount of freedom of speech, freedom of movement and it hasn't happened by accident. I think it's important that we acknowledge that."
Mr Hill was an instructor in support weapons who served in the New Zealand Army for 25 years. He joined in 1963 and fought in Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam, finishing up as Regimental Sergeant Major.
In Featherston about 30 people gathered at the cenotaph in the centre of town to remember the fallen of World War I, and wreaths were laid.
